Sinkhole forms in pond, devours 25 tons of fish

A fish farm in China suffers irreplaceable losses after a sinkhole sucks down all of the fish.

There's something deeply fascinating and terrifying about sinkholes. They can appear suddenly and surprisingly, and they're strangely anti-intuitive, proving that the ground beneath our feet is not as solid as we think.

When sinkholes form beneath lakes or ponds, they act like a drain. It's as if the Earth gets thirsty and opens its mouth.

That's a decent description of what recently happened at a pond in China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, after a sinkhole formed beneath it and proceeded to gluttonously devour everything within. The sinkhole downed the entire pond in less than five hours. Even more jarring, the water was stock full of fish, all of which got sucked into the underworld by the insatiable hole, reports people.cn.

The Earth was not only thirsty, but hungry as well.

Because the pond was part of a fish farm, we have a rough estimate how many fish were swallowed up: 25 tons of them. The Chinese farmer who operates the fish farm claims to have lost the equivalent of around $75,000 (U.S.) from the disaster.

Villagers in the region suspect the sinkhole may not have been a natural occurrence, as frequent holes have formed in the area since the development of a nearby quarry.

An interview with the farmer, as well as stunning footage of the gaping sinkhole, can be viewed courtesy of New China TV in the video at the top of this file.